In need of some guidance!!

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carolinelucy

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi I was diagnosed with type 2 after having gestational diabetes with my son who is now 4. I am struggling with it and found this forum to try to get some advice and encouragement. I am taking 2000mg Glucophage(metformin) and 80mg Gliclazide. When pregnant I was very good at control - was injecting as tablets were not an option, however, I have not been controlled at all really since he was born, not even remembering to take my medication half the time.

With my son now started school and a shocking long term blood sugar of over 9 I am now desperate to control this.

I am keen to lose weight although I am only probably about 3/4 stone over my ideal I'm sure this would help.

I will endevour to look through the threads for some that relate to me but if there are any type 2s out there able to give me any pointers I would be very grateful.
 
Hi Caroline welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear of your problems with managing your diabetes, but hopefully we will be able to help you find ways of getting things under better control. Are you able to exercise much? I find that it's not so much the weight (or losing of it) that helps my control, but how active I am. This will help make you more sensitive to your medications and the insulin you are producing. What have your doctor or nurse suggested you try? One thing that would be good to start with would be to start and make a diary of the food you eat each day, including quantities - especially carbohydrates. If you are testing your own levels with a meter - and I would strongly recommend it if you don't already - record the levels in your diary as well and this will help you spot patterns or possibilities for improvement or modification. Keeping the diary may also help remind you to take your medications at the appropriate time.

There are some useful links in the following thread which should help you determine the best times to test:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=10406

Please do join in whenever you wish or have a question - nothing is 'silly', especially if it is troubling or confusing you! 🙂 I look forward to hearing more from you 🙂
 
Northerner said:
Hi Caroline welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear of your problems with managing your diabetes, but hopefully we will be able to help you find ways of getting things under better control. Are you able to exercise much? I find that it's not so much the weight (or losing of it) that helps my control, but how active I am. This will help make you more sensitive to your medications and the insulin you are producing. What have your doctor or nurse suggested you try? One thing that would be good to start with would be to start and make a diary of the food you eat each day, including quantities - especially carbohydrates. If you are testing your own levels with a meter - and I would strongly recommend it if you don't already - record the levels in your diary as well and this will help you spot patterns or possibilities for improvement or modification. Keeping the diary may also help remind you to take your medications at the appropriate time.

There are some useful links in the following thread which should help you determine the best times to test:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=10406

Please do join in whenever you wish or have a question - nothing is 'silly', especially if it is troubling or confusing you! 🙂 I look forward to hearing more from you 🙂
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Thanks for taking the time to give me some advice and make me feel I'm not on my own with this.
I do exercise - was going to the gym 3 times a week until September when I decided to run instead. I am trying to do 20 minute runs aprox 3 times a week. If I'm honest it's head in the sand and lack of willpower that have been my downfall. I am hoping that joining this forum will make me realise this cannot be ignored and help me keep on track. Again yes I have a meter but during previous times of ignoring the problem I was not taking my readings. Now I'm ashamed to say they are often in the 10-16 levels! I must admit when I see that I feel a failure, although invariably I know where my downfall lies!
I sound a bit of a pathetic case even to myself so maybe even the act of writing all this down will be cathartic for me
 
You don't sound pathetic at all, and it really helps to write it all down - it's an excellent starting point to review what you have been doing wrong, so you already know where to make a start! You just need the motivation and the higher levels can work against you there because they will affect your mood. We all feel like this from time to time, it can be hard living with a chronic condition like diabetes that might let you get away with things for a while but will make you feel rotten in the process and guilty later. Forget the guilt and don't worry about what is past!

Take things one step at a time so you don't overwhelm yourself with impossible tasks and make your self some little targets. If you want, you can let us know your goals and your progress - however small they may seem to you at first, it will all help. If you want, have a good rant too! 😉

Great stuff about the exercise, that will really help you long-term so try and make sure you make time for yourself so you can keep going with it. There may seem to be a lot at first, but gradually you will find it taking a much smaller - but still very important - part of each day.
 
Northerner said:
You don't sound pathetic at all, and it really helps to write it all down - it's an excellent starting point to review what you have been doing wrong, so you already know where to make a start! You just need the motivation and the higher levels can work against you there because they will affect your mood. We all feel like this from time to time, it can be hard living with a chronic condition like diabetes that might let you get away with things for a while but will make you feel rotten in the process and guilty later. Forget the guilt and don't worry about what is past!

Take things one step at a time so you don't overwhelm yourself with impossible tasks and make your self some little targets. If you want, you can let us know your goals and your progress - however small they may seem to you at first, it will all help. If you want, have a good rant too! 😉

Great stuff about the exercise, that will really help you long-term so try and make sure you make time for yourself so you can keep going with it. There may seem to be a lot at first, but gradually you will find it taking a much smaller - but still very important - part of each day.
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Thanks for the advice and the support - I have just ordered the book you recommended which had excellent reviews on Amazon. I feel very grateful for the feeling of not being judged and am sure talking to you and others on this site will definitely help. I'm glad I've taken a step that I wasn't sure I would be able to - asking for help can be daunting at times.
 
Hi Caroline you will get great help and support from this forum everyone is really helpful.
 
Welcome to the forum Caroline, I really hope that we can help you get on track.

For your information, we have a little section called the Weight Loss Group. It's a very informal little gathering where we spur each other on. But as Northerner says, I think that you'll find that it's the exercise rather than the weight loss (in your case) which'll help more. Three quarters of a stone overweight doesn't sound too bad to me (but then I'm comparing it to my 3-4 stones!).

I'd also suggest not worrying about running if you're finding that difficult to keep up on a regular basis. My exercise of choice is just brisk walking. I manage to do that every day after lunch for an hour, but a 30min walk would do just as well (I'd just have to do a faster pace!).

Andy 🙂
 
Hi Caroline and welcome to the forum 🙂

just to add to the advice you've had already... I read something last week that I found quite inspiring. It was something like: Don't beat yourself up if you have a bad BG reading. Everyone's diabetes is different and there's little point in comparing your readings with someone else's - they haven't got *your* diabetes. A bad reading doesn't make you the 'bad diabetic'. If you want to compare yourself with anything start with the readings you had yesterday and work from there.

If there's anything in particular you struggle with ask a question. Someone may well have been there before you and might have an idea that could help.
 
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everydayupsanddowns said:
Hi Caroline and welcome to the forum 🙂

just to add to the advice you've had already... I read something last week that I found quite inspiring. It was something like: Don't beat yourself up if you have a bad BG reading. Everyone's diabetes is different and there's little point in comparing your readings with someone elses - they haven't hot *your* diabetes. A bad reading doesn't make you the 'bad diabetic'. If you want to compare yourself with anything start with the readings you had yesterday and work from there.

If there's anything in particular you struggle with ask a question. Someone may well have been there before you and might have an idea that could help.
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Spot on advice there! 🙂
 
Thanks to all for more support and advice than I've had from my GP practice in 4 years!! I am feeling a lot more confident and in control of things today. I am so glad I've found this forum. I am working my way through many of the posts and finding them very helpful. thanks again
 
carolinelucy said:
Thanks to all for more support and advice than I've had from my GP practice in 4 years!! I am feeling a lot more confident and in control of things today. I am so glad I've found this forum. I am working my way through many of the posts and finding them very helpful. thanks again
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You're welcome my dear - and not the first to say that about your GP practice, unfortunately!
 
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